For gear, I used my Canon 50mm 1.4 lens. My camera settings for most of the shots you saw were f1.8, ISO 640 and shutter speed around 250. No flash. Just natural light. You really just need to play around with it a bit depending on your lighting situation and what not. Be brave and use that manual mode on your camera or at least the aperture priority setting. I did test shots using stuffed toys while the little guy was napping so as not to “waste” any precious time with him and risk missing any good shots. If you have older kids that will sit still you can get some really cool shots! If only Mr. C was old enough for an M&M bribe. Mr Moose did well though…. Here’s a test shot…..

In summary, the key factors to getting the backdrop and subject lit in a similar exposure zone is distance; The distance of the subject to the background and the distance of the light source to the subject. Decrease the distance of the subject to background and increase the distance of the main light to the subject to make this easier. The key factor for getting a soft and directional quality to the light is also distance, but it's the opposite. By getting the light closer to the subject, we can create a softer light with more directional qualities. Also remember that these qualities of the light are relative to the size of the light source. If you are using a smaller light source, you will need to get it in closer to hold those transitional values. If you are using a larger light source, you may be able to get your light further back and still hold those soft-light qualities. Also, if the examples and basic principles here make sense to you, you have kind of just learned the inverse square law!

This Studio portrait umbrella Kit is easy to use and setup. These lights work great with digital cameras. It is ideal for all level photographers. It is a complete kit with a complete background supporting system with case. 3 section cross bar open up to 9ft and 8ft height. THREE 6' x 9' muslin backdrop(black, white and green) and a continuous lighting umbrellas kit.
The paper is awesome and thick and great for a photography backdrop. The problem I had with it was no statement letting me know that you cannot use it on a regular stand or the paper will unwind uncontrollably and end up in a crinkled mess on the floor. Half of my roll spun out onto the floor as soon as I tried pulling a little bit out to do a session. Thankfully I was preparing for the session about 15 minutes before the appointment time and I was able to wind it up, cut off the creased parts and rig up something with some painters tape to temporarily keep it in place. Because of this I was unable to change out my backdrop during the session without risk of it unraveling again with my clients here at my place. In order to use this ... full review
They are plastic, but very strong and the clamping power is quite good. The only annoyance is the little red pads on the end, swivel all the way around so if you are trying to attach something up high with one hand, sometimes they flip backwards and don't grab correctly. You just need to make sure they are facing inwards before you reach up high. I used all 6 clamps to attach a large king size sheet to a linco backdrop stand and it was enough - ... full review
They are plastic, but very strong and the clamping power is quite good. The only annoyance is the little red pads on the end, swivel all the way around so if you are trying to attach something up high with one hand, sometimes they flip backwards and don't grab correctly. You just need to make sure they are facing inwards before you reach up high. I used all 6 clamps to attach a large king size sheet to a linco backdrop stand and it was enough - ... full review
What type of photography studio props are you looking for? We have faux wood photography backdrops, brick wall photo backdrops, damask photo drops, nature backgrounds, bokeh photography backgrounds, bridal photo backdrops, prom photo backgrounds and so much more. The list goes on and on and one because we want you to be able to find everything you need for your backdrop needs right here on our website. We wouldn’t be surprised if you wanted to purchase one of everything.
If you're looking for photography lighting kits for beginners, keep an eye out on product descriptions to make sure your kit contains these two essential elements. The type of lighting kit photography you'll need will be dependent upon whether you take your photos inside or outdoors. You can find affordable photography lighting kits for beginners on eBay with many options to chose from.
I just got this today and attached it to my back drop stand using A Clamps across the top. There are some crease marks where it was folded so I will try various tricks I found on the internet to get them out, hopefully, without melting or ruining it. I didn't give it 5 stars because it is a little small at 5'x7' for anything but a seated subject. That's not the sellers fault as it clearly states 5'x7' but I would definitely recommend it if it were 6'x9' or larger. Even with the folded creases, it works well out of the box.

An additional piece to go in the kitchen! with some matching dish towels and foam dish drying mats,everything was pulled together nicely. The window in the kitchen is as big as the curtains here and when the sunlight shines in at the end of the day it looks like you are strolling through this valley, very beautiful. Wouldn't recommend this unless you have a very large window so the panels can open all the way so you can see the entire picture.

We had so much fun on Christmas with this backdrop and the accessories. We had an ugly Christmas sweater dinner and we took so many photos using this. It was like an ongoing photo session. The back drop is very sturdy and was put up for the next holiday season. I used a hot glue gun to attach the sticks to the props rather than using the tape strips that were included.
Please keep your expectations realistic: this is a $30 backdrop that will be delivered to your door. This is not fancy. This isn't printed on the best of materials, but do you need it to be? If you're a professional photographer who has worked with backdrops that are $200 a pop, you shouldn't waste your time with this one. But if you're like me, just cutting my teeth out on this business, this is a fine investment that is fun and easy.
Nice strong clamp. Seems well made for an inexpensive gadget. Very handy addition to the things you can mount a camera to when either you don't have a tripod or the tripod just won't work. I have not tried it with the SLR but should hold well unless the camera is quite large or with a long heavy lens. Probably best with P&S or the smaller SLR & lenses.
When it comes to special effect backgrounds, the chroma key backdrops are the most common used in tandem with special effects. The chroma key or key backgrounds are usually set to perfect blue or green helping a computer differentiate the background from the subject easily. This background can be used to superimpose a second image over the first one to show the chroma key color section.

In the shot above I used a two light setup. The main light, camera left, is a Profoto D1 1,000Ws head inside of a 50 inch Westcott Apollo Softbox. While the idea of mixing what is considered to be a high-end strobe with a budget softbox my not sit right with some, I find the indirect lighting source from a Westcott or Photek to give a really nice and even light. The 60 inch Photek Softlighter, which I also enjoy using, may only cost $95 but gives a really nice, soft, and even light. If these lower cost indirect sources are good enough for the likes of Mario Testino and Annie Leibovitz, then they are good enough for me. Clay Cook did an great article on these lighting sources, "Lighting Like Leibovitz," that you can find here.

Stands often come with crossbars that can support a cloth, vinyl, muslin, or paper backdrop and are secured by either slipping it through a pole pocket or by clamps. For many stands, a crossbar is not needed if the backdrop is canvas or vinyl and has a wooden mounting. Single portable backdrop stands are also available. Portable photography stands are easy to set up, break down, and transport to locations.
Overall a beautiful backdrop. More yellow than I was expecting though. The yellowish center on mine is very large and bright, with much less brown/green than the one pictured. I used it for a dance troupe portrait and the yellow wasn’t flattering with everyone’s skin tone. Too bland. However, I changed the color in post and I LOVE the result. The yellow center became a natural bright spot under whatever color I painted with, and is a lovely effect. I have included pictures. The first one is mostly unaltered in color, just darkened a little. I am keeping the backdrop, knowing that I’ll have to be careful with subject/lighting or paint it in post-processing.
Material:Thin Vinyl plastic cloth(not washable). Features: Light absorbant Non-reflective.No pocket Type: Computer-printed for realism. For: different sizes for wedding, audlt, children, holiday party etc. Vinyl cloth backdrops is our latest and greatest computer painted wrinkle-free fleece-like fabric. This lightweight fabric will give you the intense vivid color that you have been looking for in a backdrop.

The fabric has a slight odor similar to vinegar and evaporated milk but airs out if you leave it unfolded a few days. The fabric, as expected, is lightweight but decent quality cotton. By definition Muslin is lightweight cotton cloth and, yep, it's thin so a backing layer is necessary if used against a bright light or window (e.g., my uploaded image). It ... full review

I love this backdrop for photos; I used it for my daughters pictures to use on her first birthday card. However, as other reviewers stated, getting the creases out is nearly impossible. I took another persons idea of wrapping it around a pole (one of those long, skinny paint rollers meant for painting ceilings - so very skinny). I wrapped it around the pole and used tape to hold it in place for TWO WEEKS. While it helped with the creases a little bit, they were still pretty visible. I would love to purchase more of these for future use but am hesitant; I wish the supplier would ship them rolled in tubes as opposed to folding them.

Cotton is a great photo background because it works well with the subject, especially if the lighting is properly set up. Also, if you want a backdrop that’s perfect for traveling, invest in a cotton fabric backdrop. It’s portable and easy to transport, set up, and collapse. It varies in size, too, so make sure to pick the right one before going to your location.